Naushad /

Naushad Ali (Hindi: नौशाद अली, Urdu: نوشاد علی; December 25, 1919 – May 5, 2006) was an Indian musician. He was one of the foremost music directors for Bollywood films of all time, and is particularly known for popularizing the use of classical music in films. His first film as an independent music director was Prem Nagar in 1940. He tasted his first great music success in the film Rattan (1944), following it up with 35 silver jubilee hits, 12 golden jubilee and 3 diamond jubilee mega successes. Naushad was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1982, and Padma Bhushan in 1992. Naushad was raised as a Muslim in Lucknow, a city with a long tradition as a center of Muslim culture. His father, Wahid Ali, was a munshi (court clerk). As a child, Naushad would visit the annual fair at the Deva Sharif in Barabanki, 25 km from Lucknow, where all the great qawwals and musicians of those days would perform before the devotees, and Naushad would sit there, listening to those wondrous melodies. He studied classic Hindustani music there under Ustad Ghurbat Ali, Ustad Yusuf Ali, Ustad Babban Saheb, and others. He repaired harmoniums. As a lad, he joined a junior theatrical club and was